Visa and Mastercard Add Wallet Transfers
Stablecoin Payouts Go Mainstream: Visa and Mastercard Add Wallet Transfers
Stablecoin payouts are becoming part of global money-movement rails as Visa and Mastercard roll out new wallet-based payout capabilities.
Visa Direct has launched a pilot that lets U.S. platforms send payouts straight to users’ stablecoin wallets. Businesses fund the payout in fiat, and recipients can choose to receive it in USD-backed stablecoins like USDC. The pilot aims to speed up payouts, support cross-border earnings, and give creators and gig workers a stable digital option for holding funds. It builds on Visa’s earlier pilot that let businesses pre-fund payouts with stablecoins, but now delivers the stablecoins directly to end users.
Key Highlights: Visa Direct Stablecoin Payout Pilot
The pilot allows businesses to initiate fiat-funded payouts that settle directly into users’ stablecoin wallets. Supported assets include USD-backed stablecoins such as USDC, enabling payouts without routing through cards or bank accounts.
Recipients can access funds with near-instant speed regardless of banking hours or geography. This is positioned to benefit gig workers and creators who operate across borders or in regions with limited access to USD-denominated accounts.
All transfers are recorded on blockchain ledgers, supporting auditability, receipt confirmation, and data transparency for compliance checks.
Target users include creator-economy platforms, international businesses, FinTechs handling cross-border payouts, and workers with compatible wallets who meet KYC/AML requirements.
The earlier September pilot allowed businesses to pre-fund Visa Direct payouts using stablecoins. This new initiative focuses on delivering stablecoins directly to recipients, shifting the innovation from treasury operations to customer-facing disbursements.
The capability is being extended to select partners initially, with broader deployment projected for the second half of 2026 depending on client demand and regulatory alignment.
Mastercard and Thunes have collaborated to add stablecoin wallet payouts to Mastercard Move through Thunes’ Direct Global Network. This integration introduces stablecoin wallets as an additional endpoint alongside cards, bank accounts, and cash. The capability supports 24/7 access to funds, aims to reduce payout frictions across markets, and offers financial institutions more flexibility in how they deliver value to recipients worldwide.
Key Highlights: Mastercard & Thunes Stablecoin Payout Capability
Mastercard Move now supports payouts to stablecoin wallets via Thunes’ Direct Global Network, expanding beyond existing endpoints such as bank accounts, cards, and cash.
The integration enables 24/7 transfers to recipients’ stablecoin wallets, leveraging the operational availability and liquidity of regulated stablecoins.
Banks and payment service providers gain additional payout rails, allowing them to offer stablecoin options alongside traditional methods. This introduces new use cases and potential corridors for remittances, digital commerce, and platform payouts.
Stablecoin payouts may help users in markets with currency instability or limited accessibility to traditional banking infrastructure, offering a predictable USD-equivalent value.
Mastercard Move connects to more than 200 markets and handles 150+ currencies. Adding stablecoin wallets aligns with existing cross-border and domestic money-movement capabilities within this framework.
Thunes’ Pay-to-Stablecoin-Wallets solution, now accessible through Mastercard’s network, responds to growing global demand for instant and digital-currency-based payout options across individuals and businesses.
